Covid19
Q&A
A curated list of Q&A on Covid19,
answered by volunteering doctors
at covid19india.org
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Queries on
Vaccination
You can take the second dose.
No need to start a repeat course
of vaccination if you are a few
days late.
I have to take the 2nd
vaccine shot after 6-8
weeks. In case 2 or 3
days are over 8 weeks,
can I take the 2nd shot
or do I have to repeat
the course again?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
The first dose may give a small
degree of immunity, but as per
the trials, for most vaccines, you
will need to take both doses to
get the maximum protection
from the shot.
Does the first dose of
vaccine increase any
sort of immunity? Or
we need both the
doses to get things
work.
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Diabetics are under increased
risk from Covid19. There is no
risk on getting vaccinated.
Rather, they should aim to get
vaccinated at the earliest.
My father is under
treatment for diabetes.
Can he take the
vaccine or not?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Vaccination does not mean that
there is a guaranteed protection
against infection. It helps in
preventing death and adverse
effects of the infection. But there
are always remote chances of
anything happening even after
getting the vaccine. So please
take all precautions and use
masks, follow social distancing
etc even if you are vaccinated.
Can a person with 1st
dose of vaccine get
infected?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Yes, both doses of the vaccine
have to be taken. Take the
second dose 14 days after
recovering from the current
infection.
If someone tests
positive after first
dose, do they have to
take the second dose?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
This is still a matter of
consideration. As per the latest
CDC guidelines overseas, they
are advising pregnant women to
get vaccinated. But such an
advisory has not been issued in
India. Keeping this in mind, we
would advise for a wait and
watch policy as of now.
My wife is pregnant.
Can she take the
vaccine?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
She can take the vaccine, some
of the drugs used in arthritis
might decrease the vaccine
efficiency but it’s still much
better to get vaccine.
My mother is on
arthritis medication
right now can she take
the vaccine?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Yes, it is safe to take the vaccine.
My father is asthmatic
from past 30 years. Is it
safe to get the
vaccine?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Yes, it is safe to take the vaccine.
My father is 50 years
old, is a smoker and
has hypertension, is it
safe for him to take the
vaccine?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
As per MoHFW guidelines, one
can take the vaccine 14 days
after recovering from covid
infection.
If a person of age
above 18 years is
COVID positive, how
long should he/she
wait for getting
vaccinated?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Women on periods can get
vaccine. Nothing to worry about
that. It is completely safe.
Can women on their
periods take the
vaccine?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
No. Vaccines act by inducing
immune response and producing
antibodies against the virus. It
cannot make a contracted
infection more severe. Make note
of this, Vaccine only saves lives.
Any hesitation against vaccine
can prove costly.
Can vaccines cause
infection? Can they
worsen a person’s
condition if they were
infected in the past?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
One need not wait for control of
sugar to take vaccine. Take the
vaccine while simultaneously
focusing on controlling diabetes.
Those with diabetes are in high
risk group with respect to
Covid19 and they should get
vaccinated on priority basis.
Is it alright for a person
with high sugar levels
to take the vaccine?
My relative is afraid to
take vaccination out of
fear that she may face
reaction or
complications.
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Queries on
Symptoms and
Treatment
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
I tested positive on 4th
Nov and negative on
14th Nov.
Can I donate plasma
now?
I would recommend against it as
it has been more than 3 months
now, so the level of antibodies in
your plasma will not be enough
to make a difference. As a
general rule, you can donate
convalescent plasma 14 to 90
days after recovering from the
virus. It is best to donate plasma
as soon as you are eligible, as
the level of antibodies slowly
goes down over time.
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
From last night, I felt
that my smelling sense
is going. No other
problem. Could it be
covid symptoms. If yes
so what shoud I do?
Sudden loss of sense of smell is
not a common thing. The only
common cause right now is
covid-19. Isolate yourself,
monitor your pulse and oxygen
saturation and get RT-PCR and
rapid test done.
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
My brother's oxygen
level is 89 to 90% and
no hospital is ready to
take him in, what
should I do?
Please make him lie in prone
position, and keep monitoring
oxygen saturation. Try to consult
a doctor in person and arrange a
bed, or at least oxygen at home
as per the advice of your local
physician.
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
I got infected 2 weeks
back. Experienced loss
of smell, loss of taste,
fever and loss of
appetite. Now I
regained all, but mild
cough is there. What
should I do?
The cough will resolve over time.
You can do steam inhalation and
gargles with turmeric & salty
water thrice a day for now, as
you are already on the road to
recovery. You will need to stay in
isolation for 14 days and then
gradually go to back to your
routine, some dry cough and
fatigue might might continue for
a few days.
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
If one has been
diagnosed positive in
RT PCR, is it
mandatory to have a
CT Scan?
You don’t need to get HRCT just
because you are positive. The
decision to get a CT scan should
be taken if the patient is high
risk or if they are not maintaining
oxygen saturation. In some
cases, HRCT is also used to rule
out false negatives, but that is a
clinical judgement that should be
made by a doctor after
examining the specific patient.
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
I am having fever from
the last 4 days, no
other symptoms
except body ache.
SpO2, pulse rate are
normal. Should I go for
test or not?
Yes, please get an RTPCR test.
Please isolate yourself at home
till the test results come. Consult
a doctor if symptoms increase
over the course of time.
PITCH DECK V 1.0
COVID19INDIA.ORG
I am having cough,
fever since last 3 days.
RT-PCR facility is not
available in my town,
but HRCT is available.
After how many days
from first symptom,
should I get HRCT
done for myself?
CT scan is not mandatory if RT
PCR is not available. Given the
current pandemic, these
symptoms should be treated as
presumptive COVID unless
proven otherwise. At least try
getting the basic lab
investigations like CBC with ESR,
CRP, D dimer, serum creatinine,
serum bilirubin and SGOT done.
Also most importantly, please
isolate yourself.
Queries on
Recovery and
Others
Consider the patient to be
recovered around 14 days after
the diagnosis is made and with
no symptoms for 3 consecutive
days.
When can we consider
someone to have
recovered from Covid?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Yes, it is normal. You should get
your sense of smell and taste
back slowly over a period of
time.
I have tested negative
for Covid now, but I
have still not recovered
my sense of taste and
smell. Is it normal?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
As per protocol, there is no need
to repeat RT-PCR after 14 days
of home isolation.
Is an RT-PCR test
required after 14 days
of home isolation and
recovery?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Depends on severity, some
symptoms may go on for weeks.
A few patients report having
symptoms months after the
infection, which is known as
Long Covid syndrome. Such a
patient may not be infective but
may have persistent, low grade
symptoms. Check oxygen
saturation and if it’s normal than
no need to worry. The body
takes some time to recover from
infection.
How long does it take
to fully recover from
covid? It has been over
2 weeks for me, yet feel
tired and weak.
COVID19INDIA.ORG
There are a few reports of
reinfection, but there is no indication
if reinfection will be mild or severe.
And with the existence of multiple
variants and the constant evolution
of the virus, there is no way to
predict for sure. There is an old
credo: Prevention is the best cure. It
is best is to take all precautions to
ensure that you are not infected
again, use masks properly always,
distancing and santitisers.
I got Covid19 earlier. If
I get the infection
again, will it be more
severe?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Wear a mask (preferebly an N95
mask) properly at all times while in
the public areas. Avoid touching
common surfaces unnecessarily and
wash hands with soap or sanitise
them with alcohol based sanitizer
after coming into contact with such
surfaces.
What precautions do
you need to take if
someone in your
building has come
positive and you have
a common pathway of
going in and out of the
building?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Adequate food and water intake is
necessary for the body to be able to
fight any infection. If the patient is
not tolerating solid food, they can
be given semi-solid food like dal-
rice, mashed vegetables, etc. Take
care to see that the patient has
adequate water intake. You can
give them some lemonade with salt
and sugar in it as well.
A Covid positive
person is not eating
properly. What can be
done?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Yes you can breastfeed but need to
follow all the precautions carefully -
washing hands and wearing mask
etc. As it does not spread through
milk but by contact. Wash hands
properly before feeding. Try to
minimize contact time. You can also
try expressed/extracted milk if
feeding is absolutely necessary.
I have a 1.5 year old
kid. My wife is isolated
due to symptoms. Is it
safe to breastfeed the
kid in this scenario?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
I would recommend against it as it
has been more than 3 months now,
so the level of antibodies in your
plasma will not be enough to make
a difference. As a general rule, you
can donate convalescent plasma 14
to 90 days after recovering from the
virus. It is best to donate plasma as
soon as you are eligible, as the level
of antibodies slowly goes down
over time.
I tested positive on 4th
November, 2020 and
negative on 14th
November.
Can I donate plasma
now?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Confine them to a dedicated room and
bathroom, they should not come out
and interact with others at home, give
food and water to the person in room
without coming into direct contact, like
by keeping it near the door, give them
a pulse oximeter to monitor, if person
is elderly and can’t take care of
themselves, or have difficulty doing so,
a dedicated caregiver with N95 mask,
distancing as much as possible, and
frequently sanitizing hands may look
after them.
How can we isolate
someone at home?
COVID19INDIA.ORG
Stay aware. Stay safe.
Responses provided by doctors volunteering for
COVID19INDIA.ORG
www.covid19india.org
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